United MileagePlus Shopping Back-to-School Bonus

As I've written about in the past, one of the best ways to earn miles is through online shopping portals.  United's shopping portal is offering pretty lucrative "back-to-school" bonus that is worth taking a look at.

The promotion is tiered but basically you'll earn an additional 4 miles per dollar spent up to $500.  I needed to reload my Starbucks card and Emily had a few items in mind from Nordstrom's upcoming Anniversary sale.  So I went through the portal to Staples and purchased a $200 gift card to each store with my Chase Ink Card.  Here's a recap of my earnings:

• I spent >$375 on the back-to-school bonus so that's 1,500 United Miles ($30 value)
• I earned 4 miles/dollar at Staples through the portal so that's 1,600 United Miles ($32 value)
• I earned 5 Chase UR points for using my Ink card so that's 2,000 UR Points ($40 value)
• Nordstrom is currently offering 10x United miles through the United portal so when redeeming the gift card, I'll earn an incremental 2,000 United Miles ($40 value)

So all in, I spent $404 (with Staples gift card fees) and will earn 5,100 United Miles and 2,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points.  I value those points at $142 so that's a 35% discount on purchases (coffee and clothes) that we would have made anyway across the next six months or so.